Trump’s Two-Week Window: Weighing War or Diplomacy with Iran
The clock is ticking in Washington. President Trump faces a hard deadline—a two-week timeframe—to decide if the United States will jump in alongside Israel against Iran. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, didn’t mince words: Trump’s move depends on what happens in negotiations with Tehran. The U.S. isn’t bluffing about what it wants. For Trump, any fresh nuclear agreement needs to totally ban uranium enrichment and shut every door on Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon. U.S. intelligence officials are sounding the alarm that Iran has never been closer to building a bomb, creating even more urgency behind the scenes.
Here’s what we know so far: Trump has given the green light for contingency plans targeting Fordo, Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear site. But he hasn’t pulled the trigger. Instead, he seems to be staking everything on a last shot at diplomacy. Multiple officials from the intelligence and defense communities have confirmed the U.S. military remains on standby until diplomatic talks either succeed or break down. If Tehran signals it’s ready to scrap its nuclear ambitions, a strike might never happen.
But this wait-and-see approach has triggered a flurry of reactions from all sides.
Diplomatic Overtures and Israeli Frustration
While rumors are flying—including a Wall Street Journal story that Trump nearly launched an attack before calling it off—Trump’s not having it. He dismissed the report as pure speculation, insisting that his plans are still very much up in the air. Behind closed doors, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has been burning up the phone lines, holding multiple conversations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi since the Israeli strikes started. The word in diplomatic circles is that these calls were initiated by Washington, and a new offer is reportedly on the table to try and break the deadlock.
Israeli officials aren’t exactly thrilled with how long the U.S. is taking to make up its mind. Their main gripe? While Israel sits under constant threat of missile attacks, the U.S. stays out of range, making any delay feel riskier for them than for Americans. Still, they acknowledge that Washington has been backing them up with advanced missile defense systems—hardware Israel wouldn’t want to go without if things escalate.
There’s also been some back-and-forth about the scope of any future strike. When Israel floated the idea of going after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump shot it down. He called Khamenei an “easy target,” but signaled that, for now, he’s not on the operational shortlist.
The next two weeks look set to be tense and unpredictable, with diplomats scrambling and generals waiting for word from the Oval Office. Whether the world heads toward war—or pulls back from the brink—may depend on what happens in a few round-the-clock conversations between Washington and Tehran.
